Passages from the sermon that would have influenced Morgan to believe Winthrop's Modell has been referred to as primarily "an appeal for subjection to authority" are: first to hold conformity with rest of his world, being delighted to show forth the glory of his wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures; secondly that he might have the more occasion to manifest the work of his Spirit: first upon the wicked in [Page 34] moderating and restraining them; thirdly, that every man might have need of others, and from hence they might be all Knitt more ready together in the Bonds of brotherly affection.
Subjection to authority was necessary because the "Puritans thus found it necessary, almost at once, to begin to delineate the lines between the freedom of the individual to follow his own dreams and the responsibility of the society for maintaining order" (Oscar Habdlin, p. X). In other words the power at be did not want to see the little people take a stand become rulers of their own destiny.
Winthrop would have delivered this sermon on board The Arabella as opposed to during church service once they arrived on shore because the text was not written by a dramatist or an ecclesiastic. It was transcribed by an administrator. The exhortation was a deed of guidance. We must keep in mind these people were on a ship in the middle of nowhere. Once they reached dry land the individuals could possibly go in any direction their hearts desired. Winthrop's religious speech was a decree for allegiance and observation. He wanted to make sure no one was acting or communicating something that challenged the establishment or the religious denomination.
According to my interpretations of the reading material by Edmund S. Morgan and John Winthrop, the Puritan Society was deemed by many as an admirable political enterprise. There are people in this nation that judged the Puritans as moral genealogists, philosophical and spiritual. Many of the people were extremely cultivated, profoundly doctrinated, and astonishingly energetic. The quirkiness of three famous Puritans-Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, and John Winthrop has been exposed. Surprisingly, there is a positive note to this discussion. The Hutchinson River in New York is named after Anne Hutchinson, and a primary thoroughfare is named after the river. Roger Williams was an arcgitect in Rhode Island and creator of the First Amendment. John Winthrop was governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Senator John Kerry is a Winthrop progeny. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin was a puritan offspring and a nineteenth-century abolitionist. I truly enjoyed the reading materials on the Puritan Ideology. Many of the people during that era were more than energetic-they were downright pugnacious!
Do not miss the opportunity to be educated and entertained by the Ohio Chautauqua troupe as they explore the lives of individuals who helped shape the 1930s. The scholars will assume the roles of W.C. Fields, Margaret Mitchell, Paul Robeson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Orson Wells for evening performances under the chautauqua tent. My favorite part is when they field questions from the audience while still in character. Each scholar also presents daytime workshops for children and adults.
